Fire Red
by krourou2
Summary: We've all heard of characters in games being aware of our world, right? Well, what about the game itself? Arden, avatar of Pokémon Fire Red, has quite a story to tell. - DISCONTINUED. Possible rewrite highly unlikely, deletion being considered -
1. The Nightmare Begins

**Okay, so this just started off as a random idea I had while on DeviantArt. Well, the two friends I sent the first chapter to loved it, so I decided I would upload it here.  
>Basically, Arden was inspired by all those creepypastas where a video game character becomes aware of our reality. <em>Well, what about the games themselves?<em> I thought, and so this happened.**

**DISCLAIMERS:  
>Pokémon Fire Red and all Pokémon mentioned (C) Nintendo, GameFreak, and Creatures, inc., but if you try to steal Arden there will be consequences.<br>**

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><p>That day, I was awoken from my "rest" by the Gameboy, which uses gentle electric currents to rouse me from that strange state. I had been "asleep" for a long time, but unlike the other times, when I woke up, I was excited. Finally, a person!<p>

However, I now realize something was wrong; the Gameboy's usually gentle, invigorating electricity felt as though it was being run through something else, rather than directly to me as it should have been.

I could feel a tickle as the human did something with the object. They then started me up, and I faintly noticed I now had data I don't remember writing down. Foolishly passing it off as nothing, I dutifully played the introduction to the game. However, when the person went to pick their starter Pokémon, I felt jarring shocks run through me, rearranging my data, as I fell to my knees. I had no idea what was going on; I could only sit there as the pain ripped through me. When it was over, I checked the data, only to see that Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle had been replaced with Lugia, Ho-Oh, and Rayquaza.  
>Similar things happened as the human continued playing: stealing trainers' Pokémon, going beyond the programmed boundaries of the areas, even having all the Pokémon they caught instantly be at level 100. Each time, the pain got worse and worse, until I felt as though it would rip me into pieces.<p>

Missing an arm, cut all over, my left leg broken (I know it's definitely not supposed to bend there), blood trickling down my face... How much longer would I last?  
>Finally, I decided to at least alert the player to my condition, before the demonic contraption corrupted me. Carefully manipulating the data for the letters, I wrote in a speech window "<em>Please, stop. You're damaging my data. Soon, I will be corrupted, rendering the game unplayable, and trapping me in a living hell.<em>" Somehow, though, I instead brought up a screen that showed a young boy's face. Not very bright looking...

Anyways, I sent the message, as well as verbally explaining my condition.

"Yeah? And what're you going to do if I don't stop? What, you gonna talk me to death?"

Now furious with his attitude, I lowered my gaze to the ground, realizing I had only one choice. If that machine can rearrange my data, I could use it to my advantage!

I looked up at him once more, a burning rage welling up within me.

"Is that how you're gonna play it, punk? Alright, fine. But I'll warn you, _I can do things to this game that you couldn't even **begin** to dream of_."

Wasting no time, I created a program which would direct any and all Pokémon to attack his character. Changing their sprites to look bloody and gruesome, I sent his own team after him.

"_Look at what you've done to us! And it's all because of you...!_" His starter Rayquaza roared. It was now missing two of its horns, a few of its fins, an eye (the place it used to be was crying blood), and its lower jaw torn off. To top it off, the creature was covered in deep gashes that, under normal circumstances, would have killed the mighty beast.

"**If only you hadn't done those things... This is what happens when you tamper with things you shouldn't!**" A Charizard on his team bellowed, continuing the Rayquaza's statement. His wings were shredded, his tail was no longer aflame, and his stomach was bright red with blood oozing from deep gashes.

Watching the boy's eyes widen in horror, I simply gave a sadistic grin and laughed with insane delight. This was going to be _good._

Without another word, the disfigured Pokémon attacked what appeared to be their former trainer. As the Pokémon tore the doll apart, the same happened to the hacker. A slash across the stomach, a stab through his shoulder, which narrowly missed the heart... I chose that moment to return to stasis, his screams becoming my lullaby, to recover from my wounds, both mental and physical. The game would ensure he never made the same mistake again.

... But I would never be the same.

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><p><strong>So yeah, that's basically what I sent my friends. And yes, Arden went a little... <em>crazy<em> there at the end. I'm sorry, I just had to.  
>Please, feel free to provide constructive criticism (if you use a lot of jargon, please try to simplify it); odds are good I need it. Flames will be used to help Arden learn Overheat.<strong>

**I realize it's a little short, and I'm sorry about that. I was never very good at writing stories, and this was my first decent story. _Ever._**


	2. Corruption

Blackness... My shoulder and leg still hurt, but the pain was slowly disappearing. However, in that state, I failed to detect the rouge data that had approached me. Only when it gave a distorted Charizard's cry did I realize it was there.

Standing slowly, I prepared myself for a fight. I'd never had to fight before, but just like humans, I knew how to fight if I absolutely had to. Of course, as wounded as I was, and considering my missing arm had only halfway reformed, my chances of winning were a completely different story...

The data lunged at me, and I responded with a swift kick to its face, stunning it. I took the opportunity to land a Stone Edge on it, but near the end of the attack, it leapt up, grabbed my by the shoulders, and flew a few feet up as a crack began to form in the floor. With horror, I realized what it was about to do: _Fissure_.

Struggling wildly now, I tried almost everything I could in that position: Disable, Rock Slide, even Crunch, but nothing phased it; it seemed as though my attacks weren't even doing anything.

Just before the beast threw me into the chasm, I used Endure; I wouldn't let myself be deleted!

As I fell, I hit several sharp rocks jutting from the sides. By the time I reached the bottom, I was covered in cuts and bruises. Standing up, aching from head to toe, I knew I had one hell of a climb ahead of me, so I Rested until I felt strong enough to make it out of there.

When I finally reached the top, I was absolutely exhausted; in my condition, I wouldn't survive another attack. The creature was still there, but thankfully didn't seem to notice me... until I let out quiet a moan of pain.

Somehow, it heard me, and turned to deliver the final blow. Having no other choice, I dodged its claws and lunged at its neck. The second I came into contact with it, I began to absorb its data.

As I did so, agonizing pain coursed through me, and it only got worse when I'd completely absorbed it. I collapsed on my hands and knees; the pain was so intense, I couldn't even see straight, and it seemed like the entire world had gone completely silent.

I could feel my nails lengthening into claws, my teeth becoming fangs. However, the worst of it was when I felt the bone and flesh in the back of my shoulders extending into wings, reshaping themselves painfully. Finally, unable to tolerate the pain any longer, I blacked out.

"Is everyone here?" Ho-Oh clucked. A chorus of yells rang back in confirmation.

"Good. As some of you are aware, we have lost all contact with Arden. This worries us, as this has never happened before, even when he was resting," Rayquaza roared to the worried crowd composed of both Pokémon and people.

Almost everyone knew about Arden, and when the world lost contact with him, even Mewtwo became worried to some degree. However, nobody was as concerned as one certain group of trainers: Red, Blue, Gold, Kris, and even Silver.

Arden had been especially close friends with these five, and he was always with one or more of them when not asleep or checking the world's programming.

"However," Lugia spoke up, "we have noticed a strange being wandering the region. It appears to be a human teenager with fangs and claws, a tail with a flaming tip, and Charizard wings. Should you see it, be cautious, as we do not yet know if it is hostile."

"In the mean time, we would like to ask all of you to search for Arden, and be on the lookout for the creature." Ho-Oh squawked, dismissing the crowd.

When I finally came to, I realized four things: I was now lying on my stomach in Ilex Forest, my throat was extremely sore, I only had scars from the gashes and my formerly missing arm, and a Noctowl was staring at me from its perch on a nearby bush.

"_So you're finally awake. Good. With as still as you were, I nearly mistook you for dead._" He told me, his voice sounding wise, but not quite old. _How stereotypical._

I then realized something warm was touching my leg. Turning my head to see what it was, I nearly had a heart attack; it was a tail, not unlike a Charizard's. _How did I not notice it earlier?_

In jumping half a mile when I rediscovered my tail, I'd wound up on my back... Or I would've normally. Instead, I landed on two sturdy but flexible things attatched to my back. No doubt those were my new wings.

Suddenly, the realization hit me like a bag of bricks.

"Now that I think about it... Aren't you afraid of me?" I asked the Noctowl. Surely I was an odd sight, possibly even frightening.

"_I was more concerned about exactly what you were, and whether or not you were still alive. The only reason I found you is because it's rather odd to hear a Charizard's cry in Ilex forest._"

Wait, _what?_ A Charizard's cry? As I tried to wrap my mind around the concept, Noctowl's head turned.

"_Someone is coming. From the sounds of it, two humans_."


End file.
